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"Jesus was passionate and revolutionary," he says. "He was humble, but he did not act small."

Churches often lack the shrewdness to accomplish the grand missions to which God calls them, Styrlund says. Business professionals, on the other hand, are proving to be like long-lost siblings and partners in mission.

Those who see financing as the primary benefit of business professionals are stuck in old Great Society thinking, Beecham says. The harder commodities to come by are people's time and talent.

"Of the 10 churches that partner with us, half of them throw money at us," he says. "But we need lawyers, bankers, financial planners, and people with professional expertise."

Beecham found this help from the Twin Cities Urban Reconciliation Network (TURN), which matches graduates of its urban ministry training with business veterans. A pilot group of volunteers from a large suburban church includes an accountant, two attorneys, a fundraiser, two former vice presidents, a human-resources manager, and a strategic planner.

"A huge disconnect between those with tremendous resources and those with tremendous vision hinders the viability of the church in our generation," says Art Treadwell, pastor of Christ Temple and ceo of Exodus Community Development Company.

Community development partnerships bring a witness to the world that has been lost because of "the absence of miracles," says Treadwell, whose multimillion dollar projects, partially funded by the St. Paul Companies, have produced 135 units of affordable housing and mental-health services since 1991.

From the plagues of Egypt to the walls of Jericho to Paul's quaking prison to Jesus' many healings, God both said and showed he was Lord, Treadwell notes.

"Big physical changes get people's attention," he says. "I see hope in the boldness of Christian businessmen and women who have begun to bridge this separation in concrete ways."

"We have to know what our market, product, and outcomes are," says Erickson, unabashedly using the language of business to speak about ministry. "In this case the products are people with values and behaviors."

The citywide Soul Liberation Festival, created by Erickson in 1973, was his laboratory for learning some important lessons about reaching urban people.

The festival still draws thousands to south Minneapolis to hear the nation's top evangelists and Christian musicians on the blacktop outside of Park Avenue United Methodist Church, where Erickson led youth for 25 years.

To all appearances, the festival has been a youth pastor's dream. But dysfunctional families in blighted neighborhoods often stunt the personal spiritual growth of individual believers—or, as Erickson says, "There is a big difference between saved souls and changed lives."

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May 21 2001, Vol. 45, No. 7